1. In the space below, describe the stasis at the beginning of Split Second. In other words, “Where are we?” “When is it (time, day, and year)?” “Who are the people involved?” “What is the dramatic situation in which the characters find themselves as the play unfolds?” The stasis of the play is a street, 28th and Eleventh Avenue in New York City, during the night of July 4th,1984. The people of the stasis are Val Johnson and William H. Willis. The dramatic situation of the play that the characters find themselves in is the fact that Val kills Willis out of anger and then begins the track of covering it up.
2. What is the intrusion that causes the stasis to be broken and the dramatic action to develop, often at an increasingly rapid pace, to the end of the play? Be careful when citing the intrusion, it may not be where you initially think it is. The intrusion that breaks the stasis of the play is when Val initially shoots Willis. From a reader’s perspective, the play unfolds after Val kills Willis by shooting him in the heart. After this, Val has to cover up what he did by lying to people, such as Parker, Charlie, and even Alea. However, another intrusion would have been the moment Val tells the truth about what he did to Rusty, his father. After he covers it up for so long, somewhat intent on keeping the lie a truth to everyone else. However, Rusty pulls the truth out of his son and leaves it up to him to tell the truth to the department or not. This is where the audience begins to wonder, ‘will he finally tell the truth,’ once Val goes to the meeting.
3. Why do the events of the play take place at this particular time and place? In other words, what is the unique factor which is out of the ordinary that causes a turn of events to take place? The unique factor of the play is Willis. In that day in time, it was a different angle to see the ;law abiding police officer portrayed by a black man,Val, and the felon stealing the “Oldsmobile,” to be Willis, a white man. If it were up to common stereotypes in the United States, the white man would be the law-abiding citizen here and the black man would be the one stealing the car. After Willis, the white criminal, is shot by Val, the black police officer, the play unravels into a question of “Will Val tell the truth?”
4. State the dramatic questions that must be answered by the end of the play? (Ordinarily, the dramatic question shares a close connection with the intrusion.) Dramatic questions that must be answered by the end of the play include: Will Val tell the truth about what happened between him and Willis? Does Rusty really know what happened? Will Val admit it to Rusty?
5. Use Val to answer the questions concerning character. Ball says, a character is revealed by what he/she does, that is, dramatic actions that are taken. Examine what Val wants (NOTE: In Split Second the wants of Val are in flux and he is being swayed by his father, his wife, his friend, and his colleague at work. His wants seem to change as the play progresses). The wants of a character often encounter obstacles that get in the way of achieving those wants. Ball says there are 4 kinds of obstacles that frustrate the wants of a character. They are: a. Me against myself, b. Me against another individual, c. Me against society (that is law, social norms, etc.) and, d. Me against fate, the universe, natural forces, God or the gods. In answering these questions be sure to point to the particular obstacles that the character encounters. In the play, Val’s character faces the conflicts of me against another individual, me against society, and the conflict of me against myself. Throughout the play, Val has conflicts with his wife, Alea, his friend, Charlie, and his father, Rusty. He virtually tells a lie to all of these characters at first. He then tells the truth to Rusty and Alea later when another argument fires up. Alea does not want him to tell the truth about what he did to anyone, using factors such as how society would see him (how the guards and the black men in jail would view him) and adding in that ‘me against society’ aspect for Val to think about. Rusty wants Val to ultimately do what’s right, but uses short and ambiguous phrases to make his point. Val knows that from everything he says, such as the times when he virtually says the decision is up to Val, that he really means that he wants him to tell the truth. Val also has a conflict with Charlie whether it’s outspoken or not. When Charlie tells him about a similar incident he had, Val kept saying that it was still murder, that he still killed a man. Charlie only said that they were alike in their similar issue, and that it wasn’t murder because the men they killed were bad people. Val then has a ‘me against myself’ conflict when he wonders about telling the truth or keeping it hidden. He brings up reasons why he wouldn’t tell the truth, such as his family or facing jail, and also debates telling the truth by wondering if what he did was right or wrong, or turning table and wondering what he would have done if Willis was black, not white.
6. The most important information in most plays takes place during theatrical moments. Identify the most theatrical moments in Split Second. The most theatrical moments in Split Second is when Val shoots WIllis, when Parker asks to reenact the scene while going over what happened, when Val breaks and tells Rusty and Alea the truth, and when Val then decides to lie to the department despite his own guilt eating him alive. Split Second opens up running when Val meets Willis on 28th and Eleventh, and shoots him after letting his anger cloud his judgement. When Parker later asks Val to pretend to point the gun at him while going over what happened afterwards for protocol, as a reader it felt like Parker was getting to the truth all on his own. The question of “Will Val be found out?” was ringing in my head. When Val finally told Alea and Rusty what happened, that he lost his “cool,” it seemed as though maybe a weight was lifted off Val’s shoulders. As a reader, you could only really imagine the tension in the room from admitting that, and then the fact that Val would have to face his father and reveal that he is not the stand-up guy Rusty wanted him to be. In the end of the play when Val decides to lie to the department and he looks as though the life has gone out of him, it leaves the audience knowing that Val will always have this guilt for the rest of his life. It also answers the question of what Val finally decided to do. 7. Provide at least three examples of images in Split Second. How does the title of the play help us understand the images in the play? (Remember Ball says that, “An image is the use of something we know that tells us something we don’t know.” He goes on to say that images invoke and expand, rather than define and limit.”) Images in Split Second include the gun Val shot Willis with, Willis himself, and Rusty. The gun is an image because to the outside, the audience sees it as a tool the police use, just as Val did. However, the audience doesn’t see that the gun is where everything went wrong. The gun gave Val the power to kill Willis and make the plot what it was. Willis is an image because to the audience, he is the man that was shot. However, the audience doesn’t see that Willis is the thing that made Val finally lose his “cool.” Willis made Val second guess himself after he killed him, made him question the concept of race in the situation, and in the end, killing Willis made Val different in his father’s eyes, and in his own. Rusty is an image because he is Val’s father, but he is also a guilt trigger for Val. He makes Val feel worse about killing Willis, and makes sure the idea of telling the truth is always in his head.
8. Ordinarily, there are many themes in most plays. List the themes in Split Second. The themes of Split Second include honesty, self-image, and right vs wrong. Honesty is seen because Val struggles with it throughout the play, while also struggling with self-image concerned with how his father sees him. Right vs. wrong can be seen because Val struggles with what is right and wrong. He wonders if he would’ve killed Willis if he was black, and wonders if the right thing to do is to go to jail.
9. Most American plays have something to do with family and/or family relationships. What does family have to do with the dramatic action in Split Second? Family plays a part in the dramatic action because one of the reasons Val doesn’t tell is because of family. He doesn’t tell the truth because he has other people to worry about and couldn’t go to jail, such as Alea and Rusty. Another reason he doesn’t tell is because of his father. He wants his father to see him as a good police officer the way he was, and knowing what he did would crush that image of Val in his eyes. Another way family plays a role in the play is the way the people surrounding Val influence his decision, or his guilt. Alea doesn't want him to tell, and he could feel guilt for telling if he goes to jail or loses his job. His father wants him to tell the truth, and he could feel guilt for not telling the truth at all and altering his image in his father's eyes.
1. In the space below, describe the stasis at the beginning of Split Second. In other words, “Where are we?” “When is it (time, day, and year)?” “Who are the people involved?” “What is the dramatic situation in which the characters find themselves as the play unfolds?”
The stasis of the play is a street, 28th and Eleventh Avenue in New York City, during the night of July 4th,1984. The people of the stasis are Val Johnson and William H. Willis. The dramatic situation of the play that the characters find themselves in is the fact that Val kills Willis out of anger and then begins the track of covering it up.
2. What is the intrusion that causes the stasis to be broken and the dramatic action to develop, often at an increasingly rapid pace, to the end of the play? Be careful when citing the intrusion, it may not be where you initially think it is.
The intrusion that breaks the stasis of the play is when Val initially shoots Willis. From a reader’s perspective, the play unfolds after Val kills Willis by shooting him in the heart. After this, Val has to cover up what he did by lying to people, such as Parker, Charlie, and even Alea. However, another intrusion would have been the moment Val tells the truth about what he did to Rusty, his father. After he covers it up for so long, somewhat intent on keeping the lie a truth to everyone else. However, Rusty pulls the truth out of his son and leaves it up to him to tell the truth to the department or not. This is where the audience begins to wonder, ‘will he finally tell the truth,’ once Val goes to the meeting.
3. Why do the events of the play take place at this particular time and place? In other words, what is the unique factor which is out of the ordinary that causes a turn of events to take place?
The unique factor of the play is Willis. In that day in time, it was a different angle to see the ;law abiding police officer portrayed by a black man,Val, and the felon stealing the “Oldsmobile,” to be Willis, a white man. If it were up to common stereotypes in the United States, the white man would be the law-abiding citizen here and the black man would be the one stealing the car. After Willis, the white criminal, is shot by Val, the black police officer, the play unravels into a question of “Will Val tell the truth?”
4. State the dramatic questions that must be answered by the end of the play? (Ordinarily, the dramatic question shares a close connection with the intrusion.)
Dramatic questions that must be answered by the end of the play include: Will Val tell the truth about what happened between him and Willis? Does Rusty really know what happened? Will Val admit it to Rusty?
5. Use Val to answer the questions concerning character. Ball says, a character is revealed by what he/she does, that is, dramatic actions that are taken. Examine what Val wants (NOTE: In Split Second the wants of Val are in flux and he is being swayed by his father, his wife, his friend, and his colleague at work. His wants seem to change as the play progresses). The wants of a character often encounter obstacles that get in the way of achieving those wants. Ball says there are 4 kinds of obstacles that frustrate the wants of a character. They are: a. Me against myself, b. Me against another individual, c. Me against society (that is law, social norms, etc.) and, d. Me against fate, the universe, natural forces, God or the gods. In answering these questions be sure to point to the particular obstacles that the character encounters.
In the play, Val’s character faces the conflicts of me against another individual, me against society, and the conflict of me against myself. Throughout the play, Val has conflicts with his wife, Alea, his friend, Charlie, and his father, Rusty. He virtually tells a lie to all of these characters at first. He then tells the truth to Rusty and Alea later when another argument fires up. Alea does not want him to tell the truth about what he did to anyone, using factors such as how society would see him (how the guards and the black men in jail would view him) and adding in that ‘me against society’ aspect for Val to think about. Rusty wants Val to ultimately do what’s right, but uses short and ambiguous phrases to make his point. Val knows that from everything he says, such as the times when he virtually says the decision is up to Val, that he really means that he wants him to tell the truth. Val also has a conflict with Charlie whether it’s outspoken or not. When Charlie tells him about a similar incident he had, Val kept saying that it was still murder, that he still killed a man. Charlie only said that they were alike in their similar issue, and that it wasn’t murder because the men they killed were bad people. Val then has a ‘me against myself’ conflict when he wonders about telling the truth or keeping it hidden. He brings up reasons why he wouldn’t tell the truth, such as his family or facing jail, and also debates telling the truth by wondering if what he did was right or wrong, or turning table and wondering what he would have done if Willis was black, not white.
6. The most important information in most plays takes place during theatrical moments. Identify the most theatrical moments in Split Second.
The most theatrical moments in Split Second is when Val shoots WIllis, when Parker asks to reenact the scene while going over what happened, when Val breaks and tells Rusty and Alea the truth, and when Val then decides to lie to the department despite his own guilt eating him alive. Split Second opens up running when Val meets Willis on 28th and Eleventh, and shoots him after letting his anger cloud his judgement. When Parker later asks Val to pretend to point the gun at him while going over what happened afterwards for protocol, as a reader it felt like Parker was getting to the truth all on his own. The question of “Will Val be found out?” was ringing in my head. When Val finally told Alea and Rusty what happened, that he lost his “cool,” it seemed as though maybe a weight was lifted off Val’s shoulders. As a reader, you could only really imagine the tension in the room from admitting that, and then the fact that Val would have to face his father and reveal that he is not the stand-up guy Rusty wanted him to be. In the end of the play when Val decides to lie to the department and he looks as though the life has gone out of him, it leaves the audience knowing that Val will always have this guilt for the rest of his life. It also answers the question of what Val finally decided to do.
7. Provide at least three examples of images in Split Second. How does the title of the play help us understand the images in the play? (Remember Ball says that, “An image is the use of something we know that tells us something we don’t know.” He goes on to say that images invoke and expand, rather than define and limit.”)
Images in Split Second include the gun Val shot Willis with, Willis himself, and Rusty. The gun is an image because to the outside, the audience sees it as a tool the police use, just as Val did. However, the audience doesn’t see that the gun is where everything went wrong. The gun gave Val the power to kill Willis and make the plot what it was. Willis is an image because to the audience, he is the man that was shot. However, the audience doesn’t see that Willis is the thing that made Val finally lose his “cool.” Willis made Val second guess himself after he killed him, made him question the concept of race in the situation, and in the end, killing Willis made Val different in his father’s eyes, and in his own. Rusty is an image because he is Val’s father, but he is also a guilt trigger for Val. He makes Val feel worse about killing Willis, and makes sure the idea of telling the truth is always in his head.
8. Ordinarily, there are many themes in most plays. List the themes in Split Second.
The themes of Split Second include honesty, self-image, and right vs wrong. Honesty is seen because Val struggles with it throughout the play, while also struggling with self-image concerned with how his father sees him. Right vs. wrong can be seen because Val struggles with what is right and wrong. He wonders if he would’ve killed Willis if he was black, and wonders if the right thing to do is to go to jail.
9. Most American plays have something to do with family and/or family relationships. What does family have to do with the dramatic action in Split Second?
Family plays a part in the dramatic action because one of the reasons Val doesn’t tell is because of family. He doesn’t tell the truth because he has other people to worry about and couldn’t go to jail, such as Alea and Rusty. Another reason he doesn’t tell is because of his father. He wants his father to see him as a good police officer the way he was, and knowing what he did would crush that image of Val in his eyes. Another way family plays a role in the play is the way the people surrounding Val influence his decision, or his guilt. Alea doesn't want him to tell, and he could feel guilt for telling if he goes to jail or loses his job. His father wants him to tell the truth, and he could feel guilt for not telling the truth at all and altering his image in his father's eyes.